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To: jwsea55

If there is any plant source that could produce a usable bio-fuel, a GMO algae would be it. I still prefer the oceanic model I mentioned above for a production site.


24 posted on 10/31/2012 8:13:52 AM PDT by Carry_Okie (Islam offers us choices: convert or kill, submit or die.)
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To: Carry_Okie
If there is any plant source that could produce a usable bio-fuel, a GMO algae would be it. I still prefer the oceanic model I mentioned above for a production site.

We live in very interesting times for energy.

The best way to think about the energy sector is not focusing a particular form of energy. What we care about is getting highest equivalent BTU conversion in the cleanest form factor at the lowest cost.

Our biggest obstacle is ignorant but well meaning regulation.

This is why electric cars are so interesting. If we had a cheap source of electrical production, electric cars might be interesting. One of the large hurdles for this being practical is the charge time. Current charge times are impractically long. There have been a number efforts to develop rapid charge systems (five minutes). They have not been successful, most seem to fail due to excessive heat during the rapid charge (we would call that a fire in layman's terms).

There have some interesting developments with nano technology in the battery systems. Pretty experimental right now. One of the projects has seen extremely rapid charge times and is able to store significantly more energy per volume than lithium. Sorry, I don't have a link for you.

I am actually much more excited about the prospects for carbon based fuels. Bachmann got slammed when she said would get the price of gas below $2 a gallon.

Let's pretend unicorns exist or one day we might actually return to a capitalist, non-overbearing government regulation.

First, the U.S. could be energy 'independent' in a relatively short time frame. (I would think 2020, plus or minus if we decided to go that course now.) The Myth of Scarce Oil. This report is from RAND, by no means a conservative, destroy the earth fire breathing dragon. Since very little excess production leads to huge price volatility in oil, Bachmann is closer to the truth than all the critics who slammed her. The number I keep seeing for much of this potential capacity is that it is profitable at above $60 per barrel.

Another interesting area is developing technology to make existing (oil and gas) fields more productive. Much of the media attention has been focused on fracking. There are some very interesting things going on with bio-technologies, too. Titan Oil Recovery> has developed an approach that produces 'marginal' oil from existing fields at under $10 per barrel. Old fields using the technology are producing 100% more oil at less than $10 per barrel!

Finally, in answer to your original question, yes there are some very interesting things going on with 'plant source' conversions. DARPA has been putting a lot of money in this area for quite a few years. An example of that funding an interesting project/inventor down Georgia, J. C. Bell. At one point I think Herb Cain had some involvement in this project, I believe. Essentially, Bell has engineered a form a bacteria that converts green waste to oil (derivatives). Since the input essentially free (green waste) and the conversion process a simple biologic, the theoretical costs of derivative products (aviation fuel, diesel, for example) are extremely low. Bell had a number of small production 'faicilities' operating on military sites. He has run into some problems actually making this work in an industrial situation. I haven't heard any news on this in the last year and half, though. There were a couple of other interesting projects funded by DARPA but I can't recall them off the top of my head.

There is also some interesting stuff going on with hydrogen generators. Theoretically, what they are talking about tends to create controversies and polarized views, something like saying one believes in UFOs. The increased BTU conversion ratios are a bit mind blowing if this ever became real. I know some very credible guys playing around in this field, though. These guys resumes are worth taking note of.

26 posted on 10/31/2012 9:50:06 AM PDT by jwsea55
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